Vandals who torched a police van at the height of last week’s storm have been branded idiots.

Police are hunting the firebugs who deliberately set fire to the vehicle which was parked outside Shotts Police Station in the early hours of Thursday morning while Scotland was on red alert for arctic conditions.

And North Lanarkshire councillor Tommy Cochrane was outraged at the mindless attack that robbed emergency services of a vehicle that could have been used to help ease pressure on the area’s snow-covered communities.

“As the country struggled with a national emergency due to the weather red alert, our emergency services were deprived of a vehicle that could have been a life-saver for someone in our community by actions of some deranged individuals,” he said.

“The idiots who were responsible for this need to understand that our police officers are not only an organisation who arrest people, they are often first responders in life and death situations.”

Police are hunting the firestarter who deliberately torched the vehicle (Image: Handout)

Emergency services were called to the fire at around 1.55am. The blaze was extinguished soon after and no-one was injured in the incident.

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He said: “Thankfully no one was injured in the incident but this was a very reckless act which could have posed real danger, not least for people living nearby or the officers in the police station but also for the emergency services who are already working around the clock to deal with the weather conditions we are experiencing.

“I would ask anyone in the local area who may have seen anyone around the time of the incident to get in touch with police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via 101 quoting reference number 0201 of March 1.